Joe Patrick
Joseph Patrick has long been exploring both the serene and chaotic in his paintings, drawings, and portraits. He explores a moment in time, but they are not static scenes, displaying elements of the past and a sense of future movement. His art also unearths the hidden beauty in these moments, a luminescent color of a tarp in sunshine or the vibrancy of a windblown piece of trash. Patrick and his wife have been travelling each summer to Oaxaca, Mexico for many years and now, in retirement, spend half of the year in their studio home there. Hi engagement with everyday life in the market, a formal city park, or friends’ gardens have inspired his art. Sometimes the serene is found in the quiet of a closed market and the chaos in a riot of colorful flowers, Patrick examines these juxtapositions. He also creates unique quickly drawn portraits of friends and acquaintances, again capturing a moment, but one that is full of life and potential. Patrick received his B.F.A from the University of Georgia and an M.F.A from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He began teaching at the University of Iowa in 1965 and continued until 2004. He has been awarded a Fulbright Senior Faculty Fellowship, participated in numerous exhibitions throughout the country, and is in the collections of many corporate, private, and museum collections. With more than 40 years of teaching, Patrick has had a profound influence upon generations of students and the arts of Iowa. He continues to paint, photograph, and draw those moments in time where he finds beauty, whether in a market, garden, or in the face of a friend.
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OBIT
Joseph Alexander Patrick passed away November 6, 2019. He was born in 1938 and raised in White Oak, South Carolina, the youngest of 3. Joe and Genie, wife of 58 years, settled in Iowa City where they raised their 2 children Benjamin and Amanda and created a lifetime of friends and memories. He was a Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Iowa. He treasured his time teaching as well as his students and colleagues, many who became lifelong friends. Joe had many passions. His love of beauty was apparent in his artwork, meticulous garden, and his love of music. The Iowa City Chamber singers was a source of great joy and pride where he was an active member for over 40 years. His numerous drawings of the people of Iowa are a small slice of his body of work. Joseph and Genie split their time between Iowa City and Oaxaca, Mexico since 1978. Many of Joe's paintings reflect his love of Oaxaca through the markets and the people. Joe has left us a lifetime of work, which is a great source of joy and memories for his family and many friends. As one of his students stated, " He was the perfect combination of humor, swagger, and sincerity."
Joe is survived by his wife Genie; his son Benjamin and daughter in-law Denise Martinez; his daughter Amanda and son in-law Fernando (Lalo) Rivera and their 3 children Joseph, Julia, and Bella.
